Phase 2 of EMDR Therapy for Complex Trauma: insights from the AIP Model

Abstract
This presentation focuses on the clinical importance and practical application of Phase 2 in EMDR therapy, Preparation and Stabilization, especially for clients with histories of complex trauma and dissociation. From the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) perspective, clients must have access to positive memory networks to support the reprocessing phases. While some clients enter therapy with robust adaptive networks and require minimal Phase 2 work, those with complex trauma histories often need extensive preparation. This session provides an in-depth examination of how Resource Development and Installation (RDI) and related Phase 2 interventions can be optimized for this population.

RDI, first introduced by Korn and Leeds (2002), builds on the foundational safe/calm place exercise from EMDR basic training. Research literature supports RDI and its neurobiological impact (Amano, 2016; Hase, 2021), including its capacity to facilitate state shifts and increase the client’s capacity for positive affect. Despite this, many clinicians under-utilize the full potential of RDI and focus narrowly on basic stabilization tasks.

This presentation explores how AIP theory supports resource development and expands upon it with practical integration of additional techniques: Jim Knipe’s Internal Healing Dialogue, Peter Levine’s Pendulation, and Robin Shapiro’s Two-Handed Interweave. These interventions help clients access dual awareness, challenge entrenched negative beliefs, and strengthen internal capacity for adaptive responses.

Participants will learn to identify when more extensive Phase 2 work is indicated, how to assess and activate adaptive networks, and how to individually tailor stabilization techniques. The presentation emphasizes attunement and listening for both the internal resources clients already possess and those they may still need. Therapeutic conversation becomes a central mechanism for co-constructing the RDI process, allowing clinicians to promote client agency and create meaningful pathways toward healing.

In summary, this session presents a comprehensive, integrated framework for Phase 2 EMDR work with complex trauma clients. It supports clinicians in delivering individualized, theoretically grounded, and empirically supported stabilization strategies that align with the AIP model. Clinicians will leave with concrete tools and a deeper understanding of how preparation work can be transformational, not just a precursor to processing, but a therapeutic phase in and of itself.